Quick answer
The Christmas gift that lands with almost any camping family is the Blukar rechargeable lantern at around £17, the thing every tent needs. For a stocking filler, the MalloMe s'mores toasting forks at about £12. For the sweet spot, the EVER ADVANCED double camping chair at around £80, endlessly useful and quietly fought over. And to properly spoil someone, the Solo Stove Ranger smokeless fire pit at around £200, or a portable power station from about £189. Everything here is kit we actually pack for family camping, chosen and priced as real Christmas presents for the drive-there-and-unload kind of trip where you get to bring a few luxuries.
Our pick: Blukar Rechargeable Camping Lantern
- Best overall: Blukar Rechargeable Lantern (~£17)
- Best stocking filler: MalloMe S'mores Toasting Forks (~£12)
- Best for relaxing: EVER ADVANCED Double Camping Chair (~£80)
- Best splash-out: Solo Stove Ranger 2.0 (~£200)
Shopping for a camper this Christmas? This is not the usual scraped-off-Amazon gift list. Almost everything on it has done real time in our family camping box, the stuff we actually pack when the car is groaning and the roof box is full. It is aimed at family camping, the drive-there-and-unload kind where weight and pack size stop mattering and you get to bring the little luxuries, not ultralight solo trips where every gram counts. If you are also buying for someone who hikes, our Christmas gifts for hikers list is the companion to this one.
Everything is grouped by budget, because "what can I spend" is how you actually shop for a Christmas present.
Every gift in this guide, compared
The whole list in one table. Tap a name to jump to the write-up, or the button to buy it on Amazon. Prices are a guide; the live price shows where we have it.
| Image | Product | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Best stocking fillerMalloMe S'mores Toasting Forks | £11.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Under £15 · extendable 32in stainless forks · zip pouchBest for The family campfire ritual, safely, with the kids | |||
 | Blue Diamond Glow Tent Pegs (20) | £14.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Under £15 · glow-in-the-dark ABS heads · near indestructibleBest for Anyone who has ever tripped over a guy line in the dark | |||
 | Famgoods Solar String Lights | £14.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Under £15 · 10m solar + USB-C · 8 modes, IP65Best for Making a dark pitch cosy and easy to find at night | |||
 | Best overallBlukar Rechargeable Lantern | £16.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £15-30 · 116 LEDs, 360° · 4800mAh, 10-48hr · expanding panelsBest for The safe, universal gift every camping family uses | |||
 | OCOOPA Rechargeable Hand Warmers | £22.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £15-30 · double-sided, 3 heat levels to 52°C · up to 8hrBest for Cold mornings, touchlines and campsites | |||
 | Rolling Grill Basket | £19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £15-30 · nesting stainless · removable beech handlesBest for BBQ veg and prawns without losing them to the coals | |||
 | NATUREFUN Camping Hammock | £19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £15-30 · 275x140cm ripstop nylon · straps + carabiners, 300kg+Best for Lazing around with a book at the pitch | |||
 | Fire Maple Antarcti Kettle 1L | £28.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| £15-30 · 1L stainless · fast boil, packs smallBest for Morning coffees and a cuppa without the faff | |||
 | TOSY LED Flying Disc | £29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £15-30 · rechargeable LEDs · 175g pro weightBest for Family fun as the sun goes down | |||
 | YETI Rambler Wine Tumbler | £30.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| £15-30 · 10oz insulated · ceramic lining, MagSlider lidBest for A campfire glass of wine kept at the right temperature | |||
 | AeroPress Original Coffee Press | £37.75 | Buy on Amazon |
| £30-50 · shatterproof · smooth, grit-free coffee in secondsBest for The camping coffee snob (guilty) | |||
 | Stanley Food Jar with Spork | £37.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £30-50 · hot/cold 7hr · leak-resistant, spork in lidBest for A warm lunch on a cold day, no stove needed | |||
 | Regatta Waterproof Changing Robe | £39.90 | Buy on Amazon |
| £30-50 · borg-fleece lined · taped seams, deep pocketsBest for Instant warm-and-dry over anything, wet or muddy | |||
 | Arcturus Wool Blanket | £39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £30-50 · 223cm, heavyweight wool · machine washableBest for Two people, snug, by the fire or in the car | |||
 | Trekology YIZI GO Chair | £40.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £30-50 · under 1kg, packs to 35cm · holds 136kgBest for The light seat you will actually carry to a good spot | |||
 | Fire Maple Camp Stove | £62.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| £50-100 · compact, fast · full review on siteBest for A fast, simple morning brew, nothing bigger needed | |||
 | Subcold Euro30 Cool Box | £74.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £50-100 · 30L · mains or 12V carBest for Cold drinks, milk and a stacked-to-the-brim weekend | |||
 | Anker 25,000mAh Power Bank | £69.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £50-100 · 25,000mAh, 165W · triple 100W USB-CBest for Charging phones, tablets and a laptop, many times over | |||
 | Best for relaxingEVER ADVANCED Double Chair | £67.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £50-100 · 2-person, 6cm cushion · steel frame, 320kgBest for The bulky sofa you bring because the car can | |||
 | Weber Go-Anywhere BBQ | £114.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £100+ · porcelain-enamelled · charcoal or gasBest for Proper burgers and sausages at the campsite | |||
 | Portable Power Station | £219.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| £100+ · EcoFlow River 3 Plus or Jackery 240 v2 · mains/car/solarBest for Running the whole campsite for a weekend | |||
 | Best splash-outSolo Stove Ranger 2.0 Fire Pit | £199.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| £100+ · 304 stainless, smokeless · removable ash panBest for The centrepiece of the evening, and the garden at home | |||
Under £15: stocking fillers
The little things that get used on every single trip. Stable, recognisable brands so nothing goes out of stock in December.
MalloMe S'mores Toasting Forks
Extendable 32-inch telescopic stainless-steel forks with a zip storage pouch, the kit that makes the campfire ritual safe and squabble-free. About £12.
This is a must-have or my daughter would be very mad at me. Who doesn't love s'mores by a campfire (or the BBQ) when you're camping? One of life's little luxuries, and these extend plenty to keep little hands away from the fire. Top tip: using Milk Chocolate Hobnobs instead of the biscuit is an absolute gamechanger, you'll thank me later.
Buy on AmazonBlue Diamond Glow-in-the-Dark Tent Pegs (pack of 20)
Twenty luminescent ABS pegs whose heads glow after dark so you can spot your guy lines, and near indestructible with it. About £15.
How many times have you gone flying over a tent peg or guy rope? These things are super helpful to let you know where they are. They're almost indestructible despite being smashed around and generally uncared for. Top tip: keep one spare and use it to get the bloody things back out when you're packing up, cos once they're in, they are IN.
Buy on AmazonFamgoods Solar Camping String Lights
Ten metres of solar and USB-C rechargeable string lights, 3000mAh, eight modes, IP65 weatherproof. About £15.
These are brilliant string lights that we weave around our front guy ropes and the tent entrance. They stay on all night, so any mid-night trip to the toilet, or trying to find your way into the tent after a few Yeti wine tumblers, is made so much easier. It helps your tent stand out when you're walking around at night too, and it makes the whole pitch look a little bit more snug.
Buy on Amazon£15 to £30: the easy wins
The sweet spot for a proper gift that still feels affordable. This is where most of our camping box lives.
Blukar Rechargeable Camping Lantern (top pick)
A 2000-lumen rechargeable lantern with 116 LEDs and 360-degree light, a 4800mAh battery good for 10 to 48 hours, USB-C recharge, expanding panels and hooks to hang in the tent. About £17.
We use this on family camping trips and hang it in the main part of the tent. It goes on as soon as the sun starts to go down and stays on all night on a low setting, so if someone needs to get up in the night they don't break their neck. I love that the panels expand out so it spreads the light much better. Through winter I hang it in my shed so I can actually see, and when we've had a power outage it's been really helpful too. Genuinely multi-purpose, which is exactly what makes it such an easy gift.
Buy on AmazonOCOOPA Rechargeable Hand Warmers
Rechargeable double-sided electric hand warmers, warm in about three seconds, three heat levels up to 52°C, up to eight hours, with a Y-cable that charges both at once. About £23.
I love these for so many things, from walking the dog to watching my son at football or a cold hike. I keep them on the lowest setting, honestly, it's enough to warm my coat pocket into a snug place for my hands. The highest setting is too hot for me. The Y cable charges them both together and plugs into the car USB so I can top them up before I arrive. Only problem: my daughter keeps stealing them, so I go to use them and find them half charged, if I'm lucky.
Buy on AmazonRolling Grill Basket
A nesting stainless-steel rolling grill basket with removable beech handles, for cooking veg and small seafood on the BBQ without losing it to the coals. About £25.
I was actually bought these as a gift and was a bit skeptical, but they're really good, especially for veggies and prawns when you can't be bothered making up skewers. Don't overfill them or the veg won't cook, but a few peppers and onions, maybe some pineapple, a little oil, and they work really well. It stops your veg ending up on the floor or in the charcoal, and it all tastes great. Perfect for family camping trips.
Buy on AmazonNATUREFUN Camping Hammock
A 275 by 140cm ripstop parachute-nylon hammock with straps and carabiners, packs down to almost nothing and holds 300kg-plus. About £20.
This was a new addition to our camping box this year and I think I'll need at least one more before next year's trips. My wife and daughter love it for lazing around with a book. It's tough to get out of, so I wouldn't put it up too high with children in it, but with a bit of care it's a huge hit. You may even find me in there from time to time, when I'm allowed, just resting my eyes, honest.
Buy on AmazonFire Maple Antarcti Kettle 1L
A one-litre thick-walled stainless camp kettle, fast to boil and big enough for a couple of coffees and a cuppa without being a faff. About £29.
It's no secret I'm a Fire Maple fan, and while I don't take the kettle hiking, it's a permanent feature in our camping box. Paired with the AeroPress it's big enough for a coffee or two and a cuppa for the wife, without being so big it takes a week to boil. Just be careful, the handle gets a bit warm, but I've never found it too hot to touch, which is always a bonus.
Buy on AmazonTOSY LED Flying Disc
A rechargeable LED flying disc, 175g pro-standard weight, that lights up for games as the sun goes down. About £30.
OK, this one's a stolen idea, I admit it. A friend brought one on a camping trip towards the end of last summer and it's a great bit of fun to play as the sun sets. I ended up buying one, actually I ended up buying two, note to self: don't let the dog get hold of it. A little bit different, but lots of fun.
Buy on AmazonYETI Rambler Wine Tumbler
A 10oz insulated stainless wine tumbler with a ceramic lining and splash-resistant MagSlider lid, keeps a campfire glass of wine at the right temperature. About £30.
Let's face it, no camping trip is complete without a bottle (or two) of wine to enjoy when the sun sets and the fire's going, once you've finished one too many s'mores. The Yeti mugs and bottles are big in our house, but the wine tumbler is my favourite. I got mine in stainless and a bright pink for the wife so there's no confusion over whose is whose, and I finally get to finish mine without any help. Another one of those camping-box essentials we wouldn't do without.
Buy on Amazon£30 to £50: proper gifts
The tier where a gift starts to feel special. All owned, all used, all still going.
AeroPress Original Coffee Press
A compact, near-indestructible coffee press that makes smooth, grit-free coffee in seconds, packs tiny and pairs perfectly with a camp kettle. About £35.
There's nothing quite like waking up on a camping trip, you survived the night in the great outdoors. I'm a bit of a coffee snob and very grumpy until I've had a good coffee in the morning. This thing is so simple I can use it half asleep, and it makes wonderful coffee, quickly too. It's a bit of a luxury, but I wouldn't be without mine. I pair it with the Fire Maple kettle.
Buy on AmazonStanley Food Jar with Spork
The Stanley 1913 food jar keeps food hot or cold for seven hours, with a leak-resistant lid, wide mouth and a stainless spork clipped into the lid. About £40, and lots of colours.
This is perfect for cold days when you want something warm but don't want to carry gear to heat it up. I use it loads for non-hiking stuff too, home-made stew, or quite often pasta and sauce. On hot days I'll bring some chopped fruit and it keeps it fresh and nice and cold. I've got the black one.
Buy on AmazonRegatta Waterproof Changing Robe
A borg-fleece-lined waterproof changing robe with taped seams, deep pockets and wide sleeves, instant warm and dry over everything. About £40.
I bought one of these for my wife last spring and it's been a hit ever since. Chuck it on over everything (or nothing) for instant warmth and dry. It's perfect for camping, short walks, dog walking, watching the kids at sports. It has huge deep pockets (not that she can ever find what she's looking for, but it's in there somewhere) and nice wide sleeves that go over everything. A cheap dry-robe, but perfect for muddy and wet activities.
Buy on AmazonArcturus Wool Blanket
A heavyweight, machine-washable wool blanket, 223cm wide, big and warm enough for two, that lives in the car for everything. About £40.
This blanket is so lovely and warm. It lives in the car and is used on more occasions than I can remember, one of those things I think we'll have for life. It's super big and super warm, big enough to get two people nice and snug. It's machine washable, and while I wouldn't get too close to a fire with it, it's a lot safer than materials that have a tendency to melt.
Buy on AmazonTrekology YIZI GO Camping Chair
A sub-one-kilo folding chair that packs to 35 by 12 by 10cm, aircraft-grade aluminium, holds 136kg, the light seat you will actually carry to a good spot. About £41.
The biggest challenge with our camping trips is fitting all the stuff in the car (and the roof box these days), so a lightweight folding chair is something I wouldn't be without. We've got various seats for the family, but this is the one I use when I'm hiking and plan to have a nice stop and lunch by a river or somewhere nice. It's really light, packs down small, and it's really strong too.
Buy on Amazon£50 to £100: spoil them a bit
The gifts that turn a weekend away into a proper setup. Still all owned and used.
Fire Maple Camp Stove
A compact, fast camp stove, all you need for a morning brew without lugging anything bigger. About £63.
It's no secret I'm a Fire Maple fan. I use this for a coffee in the morning when we're camping, it's fast and simple, and there's no need to use anything bigger for that. We've put it through its paces, so if you want the detail it's worth reading our full Fire Maple review before you buy.
Buy on AmazonSubcold Euro30 Electric Cool Box
A 30-litre electric cool box that runs off the mains or a 12V car socket, keeps the drinks and milk cold all weekend and stacks to the brim. About £64.
This isn't the biggest or the best electric cool box on the market, but it's a great option for the price. Because it's mains and 12V it gets used for more than just camping, but on trips it's perfect for cold drinks, milk (I need that coffee in the morning) and anything that needs keeping cold. Ours has been on every trip, always stacked to the brim, and it even came round France with us in the back of the car for nice refreshing drinks when it was hot. It's also in our best cool boxes guide if you want to see how it compares.
Buy on AmazonAnker 25,000mAh Power Bank
A 25,000mAh, 165W power bank with triple 100W USB-C ports and built-in cables, charges a laptop plus phones and tablets several times over. About £70.
I bought the previous model and it's an absolute beast for how much it stores, without being one of the huge power stations everyone's after right now. It goes everywhere with me, work trips to London, holidays with the kids, camping weekends, even longer hikes (though I've got the smaller 10k Anker that's lighter for shorter days). I love Anker, the quality is really good, and it's always first into my backpack. It'll do the camping lights, laptop, iPads and phones multiple times.
Buy on AmazonEVER ADVANCED Double Camping Chair
A padded two-person camping sofa with a 6cm cushion and a steel frame rated to 320kg, a proper bit of comfort for the family pitch. About £80.
We've got one of these and while it's a little bulkier than most chairs, it's absolutely worth it if you can fit it in the car or roof box. It's where I mostly find my wife on a camping trip, snuggled up with my daughter, normally with a Yeti tumbler of wine and the wool blanket over both of them. We take it to all sorts, sports days, beach days, it even came to a festival with us last year. Well worth the money for something genuinely useful.
Buy on Amazon£100 and up: the splash-out
The proper presents. These three we do not all own yet, so we have said exactly where we stand rather than pretend we have lived with them.
Weber Go-Anywhere BBQ (charcoal or gas)
A properly portable Weber with a porcelain-enamelled lid and bowl, folding legs and precise damper control, for real burgers and sausages at the campsite. Charcoal about £113, gas about £170.
Our take: I know charcoal is best for flavour, but gas is so much easier, quick to get going, easy to control the temperature, and simple to clean. We've got a gas BBQ at home and being able to fire it up the next day and scrape it down with a wire brush just makes life easier, no waiting around for the right cooking temperature and no ash to get rid of. I'm firmly in the gas camp, I'm afraid, but I completely get why you might opt for charcoal.
Buy the gas version on Amazon Buy the charcoal version on AmazonPortable Power Station: EcoFlow River 3 Plus or Jackery Explorer 240 v2
A portable power station runs the whole campsite for a weekend, the cool box, the lights, charging everything, off mains, the car or solar. The two we would point you at: the EcoFlow River 3 Plus (286Wh, 600W steady, expandable, about £219) and the Jackery Explorer 240 v2 (256Wh, 300W, lighter, about £189). Solar-panel bundles are available for both.
Full disclosure, we don't own one yet. I'm seriously considering a power station for our next major camping purchase. The power bank is great for topping everything up, but once you get into multi-day trips things get more complicated, and they're hugely popular right now, especially if you use solar panels to charge them, who doesn't love free electricity. I'm trying to decide between the EcoFlow, which you can expand with an extra battery, and the lighter, cheaper Jackery. Both, and the solar bundles, are here:
Buy the EcoFlow River 3 Plus on Amazon Buy the EcoFlow + 110W solar panel on Amazon Buy the EcoFlow extra battery on Amazon Buy the Jackery Explorer 240 v2 on Amazon Buy the Jackery + 100W solar panel on AmazonSolo Stove Ranger 2.0 Smokeless Fire Pit
A 304-stainless smokeless fire pit whose 360-degree airflow burns hot and clean, with a removable ash pan for easy clear-up, that packs up for the campsite and doubles as a garden fire pit at home. About £200.
Full disclosure, we don't own one yet, it's on our own list for next year. The smokeless design is the real draw, flame without the smoke in your hair and clothes, and the fact it works just as well in the garden at home makes it much easier to justify the money.
Buy on Amazon